Junior Hockey League (Russia)
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| Sport | Ice Hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2009 |
| Motto | Лига Сильных (Liga Silnykh, The League of the Strong) |
| No. of teams | 32 |
| Country |
 Belarus (1 team) Kazakhstan (1 team) Latvia (1 team) Russia (29 teams) |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Loko Yaroslavl (1st title) |
| Most titles | Omskie Yastreby (2) |
| TV partner(s) | KHL-TV (Russia (as part of the NTV Plus package), International (through KHL's website)) LTV7 (Latvia) |
| Related competitions |
Kontinental Hockey League VHL MHL-B |
| Official website | mhl.khl.ru |
The Junior Hockey League (MHL) (Russian: Молодежная Хоккейная Лига (МХЛ), tr. Molodezhnaya Hokkeinaya Liga), sometimes translated as the Minor or Youth Hockey League, is a major junior ice hockey league in Eurasia, founded in 2009. It currently consists of 39 teams from 7 countries. Some of these teams are subsidiaries (feeder teams) for their respective Kontinental Hockey League professional counterparts, other teams are subsidiaries of teams of other leagues (VHL, BEL, PHL) and some teams don't have an affiliated team (e.g. Silver Lions). A player's age cannot be older than 20. The Kharlamov Cup, named after star ice hockey player Valeri Kharlamov, is awarded annually as the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia's official Junior Championship, following a 16-team playoff at the end of the regular season.
In the first MHL season, 22 teams participated, all from Russia. The MHL opened its doors on September 4, 2009 in Moscow, when the first ever MHL game was played between MHC Dynamo and CSKA-Red Army with Dynamo picking up the historic 6–2 victory.
The 2010 Challenge Cup (Russian: Кубок Вызова, Kubok Vyzova), the all-star game of the MHL, was played on February 6 in the Ice Palace Saint Petersburg. Western Conference Team defeated Eastern Conference Team 6–4. The last matches of regular season were played on March 8, 2010. Steel Foxes Magnitogorsk won the Eastern Conference regular season and the overall MHL regular season with 135 points in 54 games. Soviet Wings won the Western Conference regular season with 119 points in 66 games.
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